Fettuccine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large wooden board or clean work surface
• •Hand-crank pasta machine (strongly recommended)
• •Plastic wrap
• •Sharp knife if cutting by hand
• •Sheet pan for drying nests
• •Large pot for boiling (at least 6 quarts)

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the flour well

   Pour the flour onto a large wooden board or clean work surface. Make a well in the center, wide enough to contain the eggs without breaking through. The walls should be about an inch thick at the base. If working on a slippery surface, make your well in a large wide bowl instead.

   Tipo 00 flour is finely milled Italian flour with moderate protein content, perfect for tender pasta. If unavailable, use half all-purpose and half cake flour. Do not use bread flour; it makes tough pasta.
2. 2

   Add the eggs

   Crack the eggs into the well. Add the salt and oil if using. Beat the eggs gently with a fork, staying within the well at first. Gradually begin pulling flour from the inner walls into the eggs, incorporating a little at a time. Work slowly. If you break the walls too soon, the eggs will run across your counter and you will curse.

3. 3

   Form the dough

   When the mixture becomes too thick to stir with the fork, set the fork aside. Use your hands to bring the remaining flour into the center, pressing and folding until a shaggy mass forms. Not all the flour will incorporate. This is correct. Push aside any dry bits that refuse to join.

4. 4

   Knead the dough

   Clean your hands and the board of any dried bits. Knead the dough by pushing it away from you with the heel of your hand, folding it back over itself, giving it a quarter turn, and repeating. Press firmly. This is work. Continue for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is completely smooth, springs back when pressed, and feels like your earlobe. The surface should be satiny, not tacky.

   If the dough feels too dry and cracks when kneaded, wet your hands slightly and continue. If it sticks to the board, dust with flour. The dough tells you what it needs if you pay attention.
5. 5

   Test the gluten

   Perform the windowpane test: pinch off a small piece of dough and stretch it gently between your fingers. If you can stretch it thin enough to see light through without it tearing, the gluten is properly developed. If it tears immediately, knead five minutes more and test again.

6. 6

   Rest the dough

   Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap. Let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes minimum, one hour is better. This relaxes the gluten and makes rolling infinitely easier. Do not skip this step. Impatient cooks fight springy dough and lose.

   The dough can rest refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Bring it to room temperature before rolling.
7. 7

   Divide and flatten

   Cut the rested dough into four equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others wrapped. Flatten the piece with your palm into an oval roughly the width of your pasta machine. Dust lightly with flour.

8. 8

   Roll through the machine

   Set your pasta machine to its widest setting. Feed the dough through, cranking steadily. Fold the resulting strip in thirds like a letter, flatten slightly, and feed through again. Repeat this folding and rolling three times on the widest setting. This finishes developing the gluten and creates a smooth, even sheet.

   If rolling by hand: use a long rolling pin and work from the center outward, rotating the dough quarter turns. This requires strength, patience, and practice. The machine is no disgrace.
9. 9

   Thin the pasta sheet

   Without folding now, pass the dough through progressively thinner settings, one step at a time. Dust with flour if it sticks. For fettuccine, roll to the second-thinnest setting on most machines, about 1/16 inch thick. The sheet should be thin enough to see the shadow of your hand through it, but not so thin it tears. The sheet will become quite long. Let it hang over the edge of your board or drape over a chair back.

10. 10

    Dry briefly before cutting

    Lay the pasta sheets on a lightly floured surface or clean kitchen towels. Let them dry for 10 to 15 minutes, until the surface feels leathery but not brittle. If too wet, the strands will stick together. If too dry, they will crack when cut. Touch the sheet: it should not feel tacky.

11. 11

    Cut the fettuccine

    If your machine has a fettuccine cutter attachment, use it now. Feed the sheets through and catch the ribbons as they emerge. If cutting by hand: dust the sheet generously with flour, roll it loosely into a flat cylinder, and cut crosswise with a sharp knife into strips about 1/4 inch wide. Unroll the nests immediately and toss with semolina flour to prevent sticking.

    Fettuccine should be wider than tagliatelle (1/4 inch versus 1/5 inch) but narrower than pappardelle. The width matters for how sauce clings. Consistency matters more than precision.
12. 12

    Form nests or cook immediately

    Twirl small portions of cut pasta into loose nests, dust with semolina, and set on a sheet pan. Fresh fettuccine can be cooked immediately or dried at room temperature for up to two hours. For longer storage, dry completely until brittle, about 24 hours, then store in airtight containers.

13. 13

    Cook the fettuccine

    Bring abundant salted water to a vigorous boil. The pot should be large and the water should taste like the sea. Drop the fresh pasta into the boiling water. It will rise to the surface within seconds. Fresh fettuccine cooks in 2 to 3 minutes. Taste it. It should be tender but with pleasant resistance, never mushy. Drain and sauce immediately. Once the pasta is sauced, serve it promptly, inviting your guests and family to put off talking and start eating.

Chef Tips

• •The ratio is roughly 100 grams flour to one large egg. Adjust slightly based on humidity and egg size. Your hands will learn to feel when the dough is right.
• •Room temperature eggs incorporate more smoothly than cold ones. Set them out an hour before you begin, or warm them in a bowl of tepid water for five minutes.
• •If your kitchen is very dry, the pasta sheets will become brittle quickly. Work faster or cover sheets you are not immediately cutting with a barely damp towel.
• •Save any dried scraps. They can be broken into pieces and added to soups, where they become maltagliati, 'badly cut' pasta, and entirely traditional.

Advance Preparation

• •Dough can be made up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before rolling.
• •Cut fettuccine nests can be frozen on a sheet pan, then transferred to freezer bags. Cook directly from frozen, adding one minute to cooking time.
• •Completely dried fettuccine keeps for one month in airtight containers at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g cooked)